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HDFC will set up medical camps and rebuild health centres, aid in school renovations and reconstructions.

By BusinessToday.In

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

With people across the country contributing for the relief efforts in flood-ravaged Kerala, HDFC Bank too has stepped up and decided to contribute. The bank said today that it is adopting 30 villages and contributing Rs 10 crore for the relief work underway in Kerala. Additionally, the bank also announced a waiver of late payment penalty on monthly loan instalments and credit cards for customers in Kerala.

"We stand with the people of Kerala in this hour of distress," the bank's managing director Aditya Puri said.

As part of its village adoption plan, HDFC will set up medical camps and rebuild health centres, aid in school renovations and reconstructions. It will also impart skills training to restore livelihoods of the flood affected citizens, an official statement said.

The bank said that it will consult the state government to finalise the measures in their endeavour and mentioned that this is also a long-term plan where its local non-profit partners will deliver on-ground help.

Along with adopting villages, the bank has also contributed Rs 10 crore to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund. Its employees have contributed a day's salary, while the rest has come from the bank. "While we continue to pray for their speedy return to normalcy, we hope through our efforts we are able to make a small but meaningful impact on people's lives as they come out of their suffering," said Puri.

The lender said most of its branches and 291 of the 331 ATMs have been restored. The bank has also enabled contributions to the CM's disaster relief fund.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan said today that the loss and damage due to the floods in the state would far surpass the initial estimate of Rs 20,000 crore. Rescue operations are over and rehabilitation and rebuilding is underway. The floods claimed 332 lives since August 8 and displaced a large number of people.

CM Vijayan also mentioned that with the rehabilitation process running in full swing around 1.97 lakh people are left in relief camps. There were more than 14.50 lakh people in relief camps on August 21. "This shows that nearly 12.53 lakh people have returned home after rehabilitation began," he said.